A rewarding occupation

Eco groups say they’re ‘recycling’ empty buildings to save the planet, but is it a ruse to avoid rent?

It is a scorching sunny afternoon in a disused field on the corner of Kew Bridge, in west London. Butterflies flit from plant to plant while the warm breeze caresses the trees. A young woman in a pretty floral-print top and baggy trousers sits meditating; another, in vest and baggy combat trousers, digs through raised flower and vegetable beds. Men work on wooden yurts, while well-dressed, well-meaning members of the local community pop in to donate seeds, topsoil and firewood. Throw wind chimes and frothy lattes into the picture and it is not a million miles from a home counties garden centre. Except that it is, in fact, a squat.

Welcome to a new wave of recycling - squatting with a purpose. Examples are springing up around the country, as squatters rescue vacant buildings and wasteland with a view to creating ecologically sustainable communities. Take the Spike, in Peckham, once owned